Question

The spore bearing structure seen in bread mould is
A) Sporangium
B) Sporophyll
C) Sporophyte
D) Sori

Answer 1

Spores are the reproductive part of non-flowering plants like fungus, algae, bacteria etc. They are single celled. It is formed through a process called sporogenesis. Spores can be motile or non-motile. Fungal spores can be single celled or multicellular.

Complete solution:
The mould which develops on the surface of bread is the fungal species of Rhizopus. These fungi reproduce by the method of formation of spores in the structures which is known as sporangium. The sporangium bursts and the spores are then released which germinate by the absorption of moisture and forms the new hyphal filaments. The sporangium is the capsule where reproductive spores of many fungi and plants are stored. In case of fungi sporangia are usually found at the tip of hyphae. All land plants undergo alternation of generation. In fungi sporangium is borne on the sporophyte which is the asexual second-generation structure.

Hence the correct answer is Option A.

A sporophyll is a leaf that bears sporangia.
Sporophytes are diploid plants that use the process of meiosis which results in the formation of spores.
Sori is a cluster of sporangia.

Note:
Based on position spores are classified as endospores and exospores.
Exospores are a type of spores found in the eukaryotic cells of fungi and algae and they are formed towards the end of the mother cell and released whereas Endospores are formed inside the mother cell.
Based on spore formation kingdom Fungi can be classified into the following
A) Zygomycetes – These are formed by the fusion of two different cells. The sexual spores are known as zygospores while the asexual spores are known as sporangiospores. The hyphae are without the septa.
B) Ascomycetes – Also called as sac fungi. They can be coprophilous, decomposers, parasitic or saprophytic.
C) Basidiomycetes – Mushrooms are the most commonly found basidiomycetes and mostly live as parasites.
D) Deuteromycetes – Also called as imperfect fungi because they do not follow the regular reproduction cycle as the other fungi.